Down Into My Shadow
by Kagura Hale
Summary: Medusa's daughter... two words can make you such terrible enemies with your best friends. That's why she never wanted anyone to know. The truth hurts, but it hurts her more than it hurts those around her. Is it really possible for someone to forgive you for something you didn't do?
1. Chapter 1: Night Time Fun

The night was crisp, the air had a bite to it and clouds covered the demented smile of the moon that hung overhead and illuminated the streets of Death City, Nevada. It was late, usually the time when kishin came out to play. Sitting on a rooftop, watching the kichin devour souls of humans, was a girl.

She had pitch black hair that reached down to her waist and white eyes instead of colored ones. There was no color in her eyes, no pupil; it was just two white orbs sitting in her head. She wore a long-sleeved, black turtle neck with black shorts, tall combat boots that came up to her knees and white fingerless gloves to complete her attire.

The girl sat on the rooftop as she watched her brother being forced to kill humans with his demon sword, her mother sitting on her broom overhead and watching with a twisted smile. The girl wasn't too fond of all the needless killing, but her mother was a diehard scientist dedicated to her experimenting so she never spoke up about it.

"That's it, Crona." The girl heard her mother say "Kill them all."

The girl sighed as she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the wind as it blew on her face; her mother had no use for her at the moment. She leaned back and laid on the rooftop, her hands behind her head, and tried falling asleep. The sound of the wind like a lullaby to her ears as she focused only on that. Her mind wandered off, her now in a faraway place, daydreaming about grass underneath her fingers and clouds passing overhead. She nearly fell asleep before her mother interrupted her,

"Yuki," She said "It's time for you to get going."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The girl said as she sat up and then stood up "Ren, Len!" And with that two people, a boy and girl, jumped onto her rooftop and transformed into two scythes that Yuki took hold of before jumping off of the roof and running in the direction of her brother.

Yuki held a scowl on her face as she ran through the streets of Death City. "I know you don't really need my help with this one Corona. So what does Medusa know that I don't?" She said to herself as she reached an old church and pushed the front doors open. Inside, was something she hadn't expected; her brother and the witch that Medusa—or their mother—had gotten into an argument with the other day.

On the ground around Crona were the bodies of those Yuki knew to be the actual targets of the mission but this witch was something new. Had she just decided to intervene or had she been a part of this whole thing from the beginning? Either way, Crona was struggling to defeat her, it was a good thing that Yuki had showed up when she did.

**oOo**

"Did you take care of the problem?" Medusa asked, staring intensely at her four children—Crona, Yuki and her twin brother Len, and then Ren, the other sister. All four of them nodded as they stood before their intimidating mother. Crona was shaking and wouldn't make eye contact and Yuki seemed to find the whole thing uninteresting. Sure they had just killed the witch, but she didn't see the point in it.

"Good, now let's go." Medusa said, flying away on her broom. She left her children to walk back to their home, they'd be fine on their own.

**oOo**

Back at home things were quiet. Medusa was in her lab doing God only knows what and all her kids were left to themselves for the night. Yuki had gone to her room that she shared with her twin, there was nothing left for her to do and she was bored and tired. Len said he'd go to sleep in a little bit so for now she was just in their room by herself.

Crona had gone to his _'room'_… more like a cell, but he felt comfortable in it. He usually felt his best when he could hide himself in a cold corner, for some reason it made him feel a bit more secure. Of course he wasn't getting too much peace and quiet with Ragnarok nagging at him nonstop.

And of course there was Ren. She was, as Len was, one of Yuki's weapons. She and Len were scythes that Yuki wielded being a meister. At the moment she was eating some leftovers at the table before going to bed. So far, today had been pretty uneventful. That little dispute with the witch had been the only excitement all week for any of them. Not that they really cared.

The days to come would be quite a surprise though. Medusa had a big plan in store.


	2. Chapter 2: The DWMA

A few days passed, Medusa didn't have anything special for anyone to do so naturally boredom plagued the small home. It was like a disease; Yuki was lying upside down on the couch about to pass out, Crona sat in his corner, sulking like usual, Len was doing the exact same thing as Yuki, and Ren was off in her room reading or something. It was all boring!

Just as Yuki and Len shut their eyes and started to drift off into a slumber, Medusa came storming into the room with that evil smile of her's. Everyone freaked out a little at her sudden appearance but calmed down as they saw it was just her. She then asked for Yuki, Len, and—yelling at her to come out of her room—Ren. The three followed her into the creepy lab part of the house and then the explanation took place.

"Yuki, Len, Ren," She started "I'm enrolling you three into Death Weapon Meister Academy." Before they could protest, however, she held up a hand to stop them "I'm the school nurse there so I'll be able to watch over all of you, but my eyes in the Academy have their limits and having three extra sets of them could do me a lot of good." She then turned around and shooed them away. "You start school tomorrow so be ready." They just nodded and then left.

**oOo**

The next day, the trio entered DWMA. It was their first day, they didn't really know why their mother wanted them there but she had her reasons. Plus it was next to a death sentence to go against her wishes. So, here they were.

They walked into their home room class room and found that class had already started. The teacher looked over at the trio and then told the class that these were the new students that would be joining. Then he asked them to introduce themselves.

"This is lame…" Yuki mumbled under her breath as she put on a fake smile "Hey everyone, I'm Yuki Kishimoto."

"I'm Len Kishimoto, Yuki's twin." Len said with a goofy grin.

"And I'm Ren Kishimoto." Ren said lastly. Then some blue haired kid stood up on his desk, one hand on his hip and the other in the air.

"I'm Black Star and I'm the greatest person to ever live!" The girl who sat next to him assumed a look of 'there he goes again' and just sighed as she looked down and didn't say anything. Yuki stared at him like he was crazy and Ren laughed while Len looked uninterested.

"Don't mind him, that's just the way he is." The teacher said "Well, it's good to have you three here. I'm Cid and I'm your teacher." He finished then he showed the kids where three extra seats were available and they went there.

"I forgot to ask you newbies," the teacher said "Who's a meister and who's a weapon?"

Yuki raised her hand and pointed down at herself "I'm a meister."

"We're her weapons." Ren and Len said together.

"Two scythes." Len threw in.

"Are you both perfectly symmetrical?" Some kid with three striped on the left side of his head said as he walked into the room, staring in the newbies' direction. All three looked at each other not really comprehending but when along with whatever was going on. Yuki and her siblings then walked into the middle of their rooms from their desks and Ren and Len transformed at Yuki's command. She held a weapon in each hand and held them up to the strange kid. His eyes then grew all sparkly as a huge smile spread across his face. "What perfect symmetry!" He said as he rambled on about how amazing they were. Yuki just rolled her eyes as her siblings changed back and they all took their seats once again.

Class then started.

**oOo**

After class, everyone got to properly meet each other. A guy with white hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth introduced himself to be Soul, and he was a weapon; a scythe just like Ren and Len. His meister was a girl named Maka who had her hair done in two pigtails and had green eyes. Then of course there was Black Star, how could any of them forget his name after his introduction? He was a meister and his weapon was a girl named Tsubaki who had multiple weapon forms. She looked pretty in Len's eyes; black hair in a ponytail and grey-blue eyes.

Then of course there was the symmetrical fanatic that the trio had met earlier. Apparently he was Lord Death's son: Death the Kid. He was a meister and his weapons were two girls that were sisters and looked close in likeness. One's hair was longer though and she was taller. They were both blonde with blue eyes, however.

"It's nice to meet you all." Yuki said with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3: A Little Soul Bonding

The next few days proved to be a tedious occupation at Academy. Not that the school work was tough or the people hard to get along with, but it was the fact that—for Yuki, Len and Ren—their mother was nearly right around the corner, watching their every move. It was more uncanny and eerie than anything. As if having her breathe down their necks at home wasn't enough.

But that was to be expected, she was their mother after all and her plans were far more important than they were.

In a way, Yuki almost wanted a normal life. She didn't complain about her mother, but she didn't like her either. That wasn't to say that she didn't love her, she did in fact, a lot, but she didn't agree with everything she was doing. She didn't like being a part of everything her mother had in her mind, of all the plans she had in store and all the new ones she would come up with. She just wanted a chance to be like everyone else, to live normally.

But being Medusa's daughter, she wasn't going to get that chance.

No one else knew the witch like her children did; she was evil, vile, menacing. She didn't care for anyone but herself when it came right down to it. Her plans were her life, although they took lives in the process. The world was her laboratory and the people in it were her test subjects. The result simply depended on how long her subjects—her experiments—could wriggle and writhe before they died.

And all she cared for was how much enjoyment she got out of it.

If Medusa's children weren't such an asset to her, she'd probably kill them too. She was a terrible mother, why she had kids—and so many—was anyone's guess. But if you looked between the fine print, if you saw the words between the lines; you'd see that even her own children were a part of her experimenting. She didn't really care for them, what was there to care for? They were just children… four helpless little children in her own little playground.

Everyone sat in the classroom listening to the teacher—Cid—talk about the lesson. It was your average day, you average boring day. Though despite the fact that no one was interested in what was being taught whatsoever except for a few kids, Yuki found all this to be a breath of fresh air. She was actually enjoying being at the DWMA—Death Weapon Meister Academy. It was like, even though they were doing this for Medusa, she was enjoying having a normal life. Though it was a life inside a glass box, she could look out and envy those around her, but she could never truly have a normal because she didn't know how to escape the trap she was in.

It was a cold and cruel reality.

When class finally ended, Yuki was the last to leave. She had been leaning over her desk from her chair, one arm folded and the other propped up with her had resting on the palm of her hand as she just stared off into space. Even her siblings had left, they were off to hang out with the new friends they had made. Yuki, however, just wanted to be alone.

Too bad the guy who just walked into the room didn't know that. He leaned against the door frame as his red eyes stared in Yuki's direction, his white hair held in check by a headband that read 'Soul'. It was about a minute before she realized he was there, folding both her arms on the desk now and turning her head to look at him.

"Why are you in here all alone?" He asked. Yuki knew who he was, she had met him and talked to him over the days she had been at the Academy. Though talking to him alone, that was something that hadn't happened until now. She hadn't really had the chance to get to know him with all his friends and her siblings around, but now she had that chance even if it was just a small one.

"Just thinking…" She replied at length as he shrugged himself off the door frame and then walked over to her.

"Thinking about what?" He asked as he sat in the seat next to her.

"I just… I don't feel like I really fit in here." She started. "You all have friends and people you can trust but I feel so… out of the loop."

"What are you talking about?" Soul said in confusion "Since you and your siblings have gotten here and we've all gotten to know you a little better, you've joined the group. We all think you guys are cool so I don't know where you're getting all that from."

Yuki turned her head to face Soul and just smiled "Thanks Soul." Then he stood up,

"Now, no more of this mushy, depressing nonsense," He then held out a hand for her to take "Come play basketball with us." Her smile just widened as she took his hand and he pulled her up, but they didn't let go.

"Ready to lose?" She asked with a smirk.

He gave a smirk of his own "Only if you're the one losing." And with that, they both exited the room and joined up with everyone else outside in the basketball court.


	4. Chapter 4: Yuki's Feelings

Of course Yuki lost miserably, she was no pro at basketball, but she did give the guys a good run for their money. If she had just been a _little bit_ better, maybe it would have been an even match. Though it wasn't too much about a person's skill, it was just about everyone having fun. Enjoying themselves, no pressure of kishin or other enemies hanging over their heads for the moment, it was just a day to relax.

Ren and Len called for a rematch when Black Star had completely owned them in a two on one game; of course he accepted with a grin and declared he was going to win again. Ren and Len smiled as they tried to think up a quick strategy before the game started.

Much to everyone's enjoyment, they still lost, a little funnier than last time too.

**oOo**

I just want to be noticed

I want to be heard

I want the world to see me

And know that I've learned

I'm done with these endeavors

I want it all to end

I'm tired of the lying

I'm tired of having to fend

For the ones I love

And those I don't

It's too much to handle

And I just won't

I want a world

Where there's no fighting

Where everyone's safe

And they can stop hiding

But…

Why give up?

Why give in?

It's not enough

It never is…

**oOo**

It was how Yuki felt but it was a passing dream…

"Hey, hello…?" Someone said waving a hand in front of Yuki's face. She snapped out of her daydream and smiled at Black Star who was now standing in front of me. He had a questioning look on his face but then it transformed into a smile "You shouldn't zone out like that; how can you learn to get better at basketball if you're not watching the star of the game at his best?" Yuki just laughed

"I'm sure no matter what I did Black star, I'd never get to your level." Yuki replied politely and he just smiled bigger at her.

"Don't feed his ego." Maka said

"Shut up Maka! This girl obviously knows who the true star is here!" Maka just scoffed and ignored him as she turned to talk to Liz and Patty—Death the Kid's partners.


	5. Chapter 5: First Assignment

Later on in the day, everyone started to get into the groove of going to bed. That is, except for Yuki, Ren and Len. Lord Death had given them an assignment as new members of the Death Weapon Meister Academy; a simple task of taking care of a small problem out in the town of Death City.

As the trio ran into the depths of the town, they found that it was a little tougher to find their target than previously thought. However, Lord Death had assured them that this would be a simple and easy task. A quick way to get an extra soul for their count, to put it differently. So, with that in mind, they had all agreed to the assignment eagerly and had set out not but an hour later to get going.

Of course, finding who they were looking for was as if trying to find a needle in a hay stack; practically impossible. However, they didn't let that get to them, Lord Death specified that the target was no great fighter and the battle wouldn't last long, it was just a matter of finding their target that was the problem. Apparently, this _**kishin**_ had a knack for liking to ambush her prey. Not for any special reason but because it made the 'getting the soul' part pretty easy.

This kishin was known as Elda Kurayami.

One a peaceful twenty year old woman who had lived a normal life among Death City's residents, she now had somewhat of a hunger for human souls. Not that anyone knew the reasons why, she had chosen this path of her own will and her true motives were all but known to anyone.

From the description Lord Death had given the trio, Elda was supposed to look something like a curvy figured woman—though perhaps a little more deformed having been snacking on human souls for a while—with long, soft, light brown hair that framed her face with a set of bangs, pale skin and red eyes without pupils. That was the description they were given. And, although it wasn't too much to go by, it gave Yuki and her siblings a place to start. Instead of just looking for any old kishin—or kishin egg being that this woman hadn't devoured enough souls yet to become a full kishin yet— they could narrow their search down considerably.

That didn't mean that things were made easy for them, however. It was still a pain trying to find this enemy.

A _major_ pain.

"That's it!" Ren said as she suddenly transformed back to her human form, leaving Yuki now only carrying Len as the single weapon—a scythe—and something she wasn't used to.

"Ren! What the hell!" Yuki shot back as she stopped running and turned around quickly to snap at her sister. "We need to get going!"

"Let's face it Yuki, we're never going to find this freak!" Ren shot back; Len then joined in on the conversation but stayed in his weapon form.

"Will you both quit it?" He said calmly "You're shouting loud enough to wake the dead! We're not going to find this target Lord Death gave us if you two continue to squabble!" Ren just 'hmphed' and turned around to ignore her siblings, freezing a moment later at the sight in front of her.

"Is it so hard for you two to get along?" Len asked.

"Hey, we get along just fine." Yuki said "These things don't happen often you know, it's been months since the last time this happened." But Yuki was cut off a moment later by her sister's voice.

"Uh, guys?" She said "I-I think I found our t-target!" The two then looked over at Ren and then looked to what she was pointing at.

"I told you that your shouting was too loud." Len snapped sarcastically.

"What do you care? The target came to us, that makes this job a lot easier." Yuki replied, then snapped at her sister "Ren, scythe, now!"

"Okay!" And with that she transformed and Yuki was once again in her comfort zone, holding the only two weapons that she trusted enough to use.

"Let's take care of this quickly!"

"Right!" The two weapons said together.

The _kishi_—egg—named Elda then attacked the moment the weapons finished that single word, lunging at the trio. Being confined in the tight space of the alley Yuki was in, there wasn't much room to maneuver. As such, Yuki found herself jumping over the scary woman and running out of the alleyway to the open, empty street that provided more room.

The fight itself was a quick one, lasting only a few minutes. But Elda definitely gave the three a run for their money at one point. Not that Yuki had planned on losing, it was just a close call once when the woman had brought out some sharp fingernails and skimmed the top of Yuki's shoulder.

Overall though, the battle had been quick.

Just as Lord Death had specified.


	6. Chapter 6: One Trouble After Another

Yuki and her siblings checked in with Lord Death once the assignment was complete and the soul they collected was tallied to mark their progress. So far, they had about ten souls for each Len and Ren—which added up to five each if you want to get technical. It wasn't much as far as progress went but it was a start. They were ahead of the game of a lot of other students in the Academy anyway so why complain?

As the trio left the Death Room after reporting in, they walked the halls of the Death Weapon Meister Academy—it still dark from being late—and slowly made their way towards their home that lied a little outside of the Academy. Well, that's where they had been heading…

"Ah, my darling children," A very familiar voice said "How fares your lives here at the Academy?" Everyone then turned around to see the horrible sight of their mother, her yellow eyes peering at them followed by a smile that never reached her eyes.

"We're fine." Yuki replied flatly. Medusa then narrowed her eyes but her smile remained.

"Now is that any way to talk to your own mother?" She asked in her conniving way. Then, changing the subject, Medusa asked another question. "Are you three making any friends?"

"Yeah!" Ren seemed to reply automatically with enthusiasm. Len just sort of glared at her back in a discreet way so no one would notice. In their current situation, it was best to not give their mother all the information she wanted or could use against them. It was best to leave her in the dark—to find things out for herself. None of them really wanted to help her, they didn't like their mother, but they were scared of her to a degree. Not as much as Crona was, but the fear was still there.

"Good, good, I'm glad." Of course none of them believed her. Then she started walking past them "Oh, I almost forgot," she said as she was still walking "I've invited a friend over to _help_ around here for me. You all remember Ruby Drago right?" Then she disappeared around a corner and left the siblings standing there with wide eyes.

They all knew her alright. She was a friend of Medusa and somewhat of a witch herself. Her magical power was limited; however, as she was a weapon on her father's side and more like a half witch on her mother's side. She also… had a tendency to… _scare_ Yuki. Not that she was villainous of creepy, but more that she had such a bubbly personality with her strange looks that it made Yuki really nervous.

With accordance to the last time Yuki had seen her, Ruby had elbow length, fiery red hair with purple highlights that she wore in long, downward spikes, reptile-like, purple eyes a shade brighter than her highlights, olive colored skin, and a curvy figure. Also, she had some scales on the sides of her face and different tattoos all over her body. On her back she had the wings of a dragon and on her left and right arm she had two long dragons that wrapped around her arms, one purple and the other red. She resembled somewhat of a dragon to Yuki and her siblings, something that was very strange to them. Especially with her bubbly personality. That wasn't to say that Ruby didn't fight, she did, and in turn that tended to get the three in a lot more trouble than they bargained for.

She wasn't a foe to really reckon with, but it seemed that they were going to have to.

Whatever Medusa had planned, it wasn't beneficial to them in any way.

"Should we report this to Lord Death?" Len asked as he stared off down the hallway Medusa had once stood.

"He'd probably want to know." Ren put in.

"How would we explain it though? Are we going to tell him that Medusa is our mother and she told us this? We're not exactly in a favorable position right now." Yuki put in.

At that everyone stopped to think. How would they warm Lord Death of the danger? Exposing themselves would only get them into a deeper, more troublesome situation than they were already in. They couldn't hide it forever but right now wasn't the time to tell anyone. No, they'd wait. And deal with this as the problem arose.

A statement easier said than done…


	7. Chapter 7: A Little Bit of Worry & Peace

The next couple of days, the trio was on edge for any signs of Ruby. They expected her to just appear over the horizon at any moment but instead they all found themselves acting tense for no reason. She never appeared, even as two weeks passed. Could Medusa have lied to her own children just to keep them preoccupied with worrying?

That does seem like something she'd do…

Of course, had they known what their _mother_ had been planning the whole time, that was the truth. She knew Yuki, Len and Ren were slipping from her grasp and found it a bit hard to keep them under check. That's why she made a distraction to keep them occupied while she did what she needed to do.

Medusa laughed mentally at the thought that her children peering out over the horizon with worried expression as they waited for Ruby. She'd never come. Medusa hadn't talked to her in ages and they barely kept in touch. Of course they were still allies but times change and they weren't quite as close as they used to be.

It had been an empty threat that she had made to her children. But they didn't know that…

**oOo**

Yuki sat on a bench in an empty little basketball court and stared off into the distance as she wondered what she was going to do. Half of her didn't believe a word her mother said. In the years she had lived with Medusa, she didn't once—in the last four years—remember her mother contacting Ruby in any way. So why would she start now? It didn't make sense, she just didn't believe it.

Medusa lied to them.

Yuki sighed as she looked down at her feet from where she was sitting, wondering what her Medusa had really been planning then if this had all been a sham. It was frustrating to know that their mother did things like this to them. True, she didn't expect her to tell them everything—she didn't trust them completely, or at all for all Yuki knew—but Medusa never lied to them like this before. At least to Yuki she never lied, to the others… she didn't know.

A shadow overcastted the black haired girl and she looked up with her pure white eyes and saw Soul standing over her. She gave a faint smile but he saw through the ruse and asked her if she was okay. Just as she was about to answer, Maka and the rest of the gang showed up behind Soul and Black Star was yelling something about Maka eating dirt. Yuki didn't really get it because she hadn't heard the whole conversation but she giggled at it nonetheless. Soul then gave her a smirk and asked if she wanted to play? The thought of losing as miserably as she had last time was sort of… not really an idea Yuki liked to think on—or want to repeat—so she said she'd pass and just watch this time.

Maybe she'd learn from watching?

What a hopeful thought that had been back when she had thought it. The whole time the game went on she was so confused. She understood the basics of Basketball, knew what everything was, but as far as the strategies that were going on, she didn't have a clue how to keep up. Especially when Black Star had broken the hoop dunking the ball after jumping from the ground, off Soul's back, and then slamming the ball into it. She didn't even know how he managed that.

Yuki sighed, it was a passing hope. She guessed that she'd only learn if she got in and tried. Though that thought didn't exactly sit well with her. Though, even with Black Star's cocky attitude, she hadn't expected him to tell her that she had done well last time. She even laughed when Soul had thrown in that she was better than Maka. Or course that just got him a book to the head as Maka had hit him.

"Yahoo! I won again, in your face Maka!" Black Star shouted as he held a proud look and started to laugh. That too, though, just got him his own book to the face as Maka threw the one she was reading at him. It flew straight into his nose and he fell backwards as his nose started to bleed.

"Was that really necessary, Maka?" Liz asked as she looked worriedly at the _Star_.

"I didn't kill him, he'll be fine." Maka said nonchalantly as she picked up her book and sat by Yuki on the bench. After that, she paid Black star no attention as Tsubaki ran to his side to see if he was okay the moment he fell. Of course he was, but that didn't mean he wasn't in pain.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki shouted as she held a worried face.

"T-Tsubaki… is that you…?" Black Star asked in a groggy voice.

"I'm right here Black star!"

"I… I think Maka's upset because… she can't be as great as I am." Yuki then cupped her mouth to smother her laugh but it still came out in little giggles. That of which Soul smirked at and looked at Yuki from the corner of his eye as he was now standing to the side of the bench.

"Oh shut up Black Star!" Maka shouted after he made that snide comment which she found offensive. She only received a groan in return as the Star mumbled something to Tsubaki that no one could hear.

**oOo**

Len and Ren had been gone the whole day, that was why Yuki had been all alone by the basketball court for the day—well, that is until Soul and everyone showed up for a couple games. They were off having the day to themselves, sometimes it was just good to have some free time to their selves every now and then. Yuki could always tell them about Medusa's lie later tonight when they were all at home.

Right now Yuki was still by the basketball court, only she was sitting in the middle of it now, looking up at the ever darkening sky. She didn't even notice that someone was approaching her until they sat next to her and she looked over to see Soul.

"You spend a lot of time alone, don't you?" He asked as he stretched out a leg in front of him and left the other bent as he rested his arm on his knee.

"I spent the whole day with all of you didn't I?" Yuki answered "I wouldn't call that being alone."

"I was talking about right now." Soul said.

"Well, it's like a moment of peace." Yuki replied "A way for me to forget all my troubles and just smile because I want to." She then shot Soul a small smile as she looked over at him. He returned the expression and then the silence stretched between them. The night slowly carried on and soon Yuki found herself feeling sleepy. She didn't know how long they had sat there together, watching as the stars came out one by one, but eventually she started slipping and—leaning against Soul's shoulder—she fell asleep. Soul just smiled and shook his head at her as he got up—careful not to wake her—picked her up bridal style and then carried her come where Len took her from him and put her to bed after a quick explanation of why she had been out so late.

Then Soul said his good-byes and left to go home, already feeling that Maka would be upset at how late he was at getting home.


	8. Chapter 8: Thoughts and Emotions

"I can't go on living this way…"

**oOo**

Yuki spent the next day with a smile on her face. She didn't know why, she just did. Though, as the day wore on, she started to put pieces together as to why—though she didn't know if her conclusion was exactly right. Was it because she had spent most of last night with Soul? That seemed like the most likely cause, but even then she didn't know why it was making her smile so much.

It was a fleeting smiled, however, as it soon dissipated almost as quickly as it had appeared in the early morning. Yuki's mind then wandered to more pressing matters, such as the fact that still no one knew who she really was. In a way, half of her really wanted to tell everyone, but the other half of her told herself that it didn't matter—people should just accept her the way she is, right? What does it matter where she came from?

Yet, it still bothered her. She wanted to tell her new friends everything just so that there were no secrets between them. She knew that the sooner it got out of the way the better. But… she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She was scared.

Especially because she didn't know how Soul would react. She wanted his acceptance the most, more than anyone.

Yuki shook her head, why was she thinking like that? What did it matter what they thought? And why did she care so much about Soul's opinion? It wasn't like they were best friends, perhaps good acquaintances at the moment, but nothing more. Yet she couldn't really bring herself to wholly believe that. She felt a connection with Soul every time she was around him, perhaps she didn't really know him but it was still there.

As the day carried on, Yuki found herself more troubled by her thoughts. Even as she climbed into bed for the night and stared up at her ceiling, she couldn't help but think about Soul. Vigorously shaking her head, she tried to rid herself of the thoughts and turned to her side as she looked out her little window instead. Even having tried talking to her siblings throughout the day or other people such as Maka and Tsubaki, she found her mind distressed. It wasn't that she was worrying about anything—_that_ much—she just wanted to spill out the truth before everyone found it all out and then got angry at her for harboring secrets.

Yuki's face then darkened, no one had a right to be mad at her. She wasn't Medusa's daughter by choice. Hell, if she could have it her own way she wouldn't even be related to the witch. But everything wasn't how she wanted it, she _was_ Medusa's daughter whether she liked it or not. She then sighed as she closed her eyes, not long after, drifting into a deep slumber.

She dreamt of trivial, menial things, but ones that she enjoyed. She dreamed of having a normal life, of having a normal family, that there was no fighting… She dreamed of falling love… Then, with her subconscious grasping hold of that, Soul came into her dream. She didn't know why, she didn't care. She was asleep and lost on a far away plain, away from her troubles. What did it matter who she dreamed about? She was the only one that would know, the only one that would harbor her _own_ secret desires. Not that her conscious mind had really registered yet the dream she was having, but when she would wake up in the morning it would all come to her and she'd know.

**oOo**

The next morning, Yuki woke up to Ren poking her face—again and again. She didn't even let up until Yuki swatted her hand away and groaned as she opened her white eyes and stared at her sister. Ren had a habit of doing little things like this to her, Yuki wasn't exactly annoyed by it but it did become old after a while. She was amazing that her sister never got bored with waking her up in her little ways. Yuki thought that by now—after all these years—Ren might let up. But she just smiled to her sister as she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.

It was the weekend so there was no school session at the DWMA, which was one reason why Yuki wondered why Ren had woke her up. Of course, all her sister did was hand her a letter that had her name on it. Nothing else on the front of the letter except that, which made Yuki wonder who it was from. Ren had left the room, leaving Yuki all alone, so without further ado, she opened the letter and pulled out the thin paper and read its contents.

Yuki,

Len and Ren said you were sleeping when I stopped by so I just wrote this up quickly before leaving. You left this at the basketball court last that night and I forgot to return it yesterday.

Soul

Yuki closed the letter up and looking in the envelope to see a necklace with a small silver ring on the end, too small for her to wear but it looked really pretty with its simple design. Then it hit Yuki, she didn't have anything like this, so why did Soul bring it back to her? She hadn't even been wearing any kind of jewelry that night she spent with Soul. It wasn't really her thing, but this necklace was beautiful on its thin sterling chain and the plain, small silver ring on the end. Had Soul really thought it was her's, or did he get it for her?

She just didn't understand that boy.

But even as a smile beamed on her face as she held up the necklace and it glimmered as the sun's rays hit it through the window, she couldn't help but think… "I can't go on living this way…" She said to herself.

_I've got to tell Soul at least the truth_, she thought. Then, with determination set in her features, she put on the necklace before getting ready for the day and then heading out to look for the boy.


	9. Chapter 9: Decisions, Decisions

Finding Soul proved to be slightly more difficult than Yuki anticipated, she couldn't find him anywhere. Not that he had disappeared off the face of the planet, he couldn't do that. Then a thought struck her; perhaps he was out on an assignment. He and Maka still had a lot of souls to collect before Soul could turn into one of Lord Death's Death Scythes.

As Yuki wandered around aimlessly, she was starting to doubt herself. Was it really such a good idea to reveal everything to Soul, a guy she barely knew? True she felt close to him, felt a connection, but… she was scared of rejection. She didn't want to be secluded from everyone just because of the ugly truth.

These thoughts swimming through her head, she started to feel less and less willing to tell Soul the truth. He'd hate her just like all the other once he knew. Yuki's head then dropped slightly, Medusa was always right; no one could possibly care for any of them… Medusa was the only one who would accept them. But, just not in the ways any of them wanted.

Medusa saw her children as more of an… experiment, pawns for her game of chess. Medusa wasn't exactly the motherly type; she wasn't someone you would see wanting children. It seemed more liked she just needed others to do the dirty work for her while she schemed how to tear the world apart.

That's where Yuki, Len, Ren and Crona came in…

Yuki let out a long sigh as she sat on the middle of the three spikes on the front of the Academy and stared out over Death City. It seemed almost eerily quiet from her perch, nothing seemed to be in any kind of trouble. Then she remembered why she was here at the DWMA and suddenly she realized how wrong she was; she was the trouble that had come to the Academy.

Everyone would hate her if they knew the truth, they always did.

Below her, Yuki saw a group of kids walking into the Academy. She envied them, seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing them all laugh. She stared at one of them in particular. A girl with short black hair that was in her face and bright, vivid blue eyes that she could see from where she sat. She had pale skin and was short compared to her friends, also _much_ thinner than any of them. Yuki didn't know her of course but she smiled at them all as they passed by.

"Wow Amaya, really?" One of the girl's friends said before they passed through the doors of the Academy and then Yuki didn't see or hear them anymore. Yeah, she envied _normal_ people, the ways they got to live, everything. She just wanted to be accepted as they were—without having to hide the truth.

_What a stupid dream_, Yuki thought to herself as the wind picked up and it blew her long, jet black hair behind her.

**oOo**

Yuki nearly dozed off as she sat on that spike on the Academy, but realizing she would fall off, she stood up and decided she should get down. Just as she was about to, however, she saw a sight that made her smile—and it also made tight knots turn in her stomach from intense nervousness.

Soul and Maka were walking back towards the Academy, most likely to repot back to Lord Death. Yuki hesitated, she wanted to go down and pull Soul aside—tell him everything—yet… she just couldn't. Her heart felt like it fell in her chest and her mood slowly started to fall. She then mentally slapped herself.

"Get it together Yuki!" She nearly shouted to herself. Then she realized that the duo was right beneath her and suddenly a blush flared up on her cheeks, hoping that they hadn't heard her. Of course they hadn't, Maka was talking about something Yuki couldn't hear and Soul seemed disinterested as he held his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky while they walked.

Though, he soon noticed Yuki's figure above the Academy and waved at her when Maka wasn't looking. Yuki's blush darkened and she waved back shyly before doing a small back flip and landing on the ground behind the two. Soul looked over his shoulder and shot Yuki a smile, which she returned before waving a silent good-bye and then walking in the opposite direction.

The whole way home she was just thinking of how idiotic she was being.

Tomorrow, she was going to tell Soul, whether she felt ready to or not.


	10. Chapter 10: Her Own Choices

"I'm going to tell him. I'm going to tell him. I'm going to tell him—" Yuki repeated to herself. That didn't mean that it was any easier to do so, nervousness still racked her body. She was scared, scared of rejection. Which with her life, she had the right to feel that way.

Len then walked into the room and saw Yuki's frantic pacing. He sighed and walked up to her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. He then walked her over to her bed and sat down with her as he asked what was wrong.

Yuki explained everything to her twin, knowing he would understand, and then waited for him to say something. She knew that getting advice from her brother—even if they were the same age—would _always_ do her some good. Besides, when she got stuck in a cycling thought process like she was, any help was always welcome.

Len thought over everything, this obviously was and had been bothering Yuki for quite a while, but he knew that if she revealed anything, they'd get nothing but hell from Medusa. She wasn't exactly the understanding type of mother, no. If you upset her, spoiled her plans, then you expected to be on her bad side for _the rest of your life_, which, if that were the case, expect a short life from there…

Len told Yuki that it was a bad idea to tell Soul anything, it would just get her into trouble. Of course that didn't really make her feel any better, though her brother's advice was helping her make a decision, not that she liked the decision.

Yuki then sighed, knowing he was right. She had been foolish to think that Soul would have been different from anyone. Sure, she didn't know him to well, but she felt a connection to him. One that made her feel that—if she told him—he would understand.

At least, that's what she hoped for…

With that settled, Yuki decided she'd just play the part. Be herself but keep her life secret as Len had said she should. There would be less hurt that way, less trauma. All the better for her though, Yuki didn't think she could handle any more of the pain of rejection. So, this way, everyone was happy.

Right?

If only she had known that Medusa had been watching her and her brother at that moment through the eyes of her magic, she'd then know why Len said what he said. But at the moment, she didn't care, she was just happy that she didn't have to feel as confused anymore. That was what mattered, nothing else.

So, with her new found resolve, Yuki walked out into the night and told herself that a little walk through the fresh air would do her some good. She told Len and Ren she'd be back in a little bit and then exited their _home_ and walked around Death City, the moon smiling like it always did with its creepy grin.

Yuki always wondered if the moon smiled because it knew something no one else did, harboring secrets no one else knew. Though that was a silly thought, what could the moon possibly know?

She stuffed her hands into her pockets as she walked, dragging her feet along. Then, taking a deep breath she subconsciously made a turn to go to the basket ball court. She didn't know why, even when she got there, but she stayed for a bit and sat on one of the benches.

Despite Len's earlier advice though, Yuki made a decision right then, and promised to keep it. She was going to tell Soul, in the morning, regardless of the punishments of doing so. She had class at the Academy tomorrow so she'd do it right before, get it all over with.

And with a smile, Yuki hoped for the best.


	11. Chapter 11: Finally Spilling the Truth

The night kept growing darker and darker until it was around two in the morning and clouds started to roll in, covering the smiling moon and blanketing Death City in darkness. Yuki couldn't get to sleep, her mind was too awake. She felt as if she'd never be able to get to sleep again. _What was that called_? She thought, _Insomnia_? Then she laughed to herself, one single guy was getting her so worked up. And she barely knew him for what, a couple weeks, a few, perhaps a month? Yet she had an aching feeling in her chest towards him, she wanted to be around him, be close to him.

As then sun started it routine climb into the sky around 6:00am, Yuki decided it was time to set her plan in motion and she got up from the bench she had been sitting on all night and started walking towards the Academy. If Soul was already in class or if he was just in the hallway, she'd pull him aside and tell him. Either way, she was doing it today.

On her way to the Academy, Yuki passed several people, nodded a greeting, and then moved on until she reached the front doors of the Death Weapon Meister Academy. She felt a little nervous, heck, she had been feeling nervous for a long time now. She should just say that she felt normal…

Opening the doors and walking inside, Yuki looked around as she passed other students for one in particular; a white haired boy with red eyes and an easy going attitude. He shouldn't be that hard to find, his look made him stand out amongst a crowd so Yuki didn't feel concerned there.

She walked through every hallway and then finally made her way to the classroom. Class didn't start for another half hour so she had time to spare yet. As she entered the room, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the boy she had been looking for. Suddenly she felt herself getting cold feet but she shook the feeling away and forced herself to walk up to him.

Soul looked over when he saw her coming his way and flashed a smile at her as he said a greeting. She returned the smile and said a quick hello before asking if he could step out of the room with her because she needed to talk to him. He was a little confused but he nodded and told his friends he'd be right back before going outside of the classroom with Yuki.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Soul asked her what was up and she stood there a little awkwardly, twiddling her fingers as she tried to find a way to start. Soul noticed how nervous she was and decided it might be best to break the ice first so he, too, tried to think if something to say. That is, until he noticed she was wearing the necklace he _**returned**_ to her and a smile caressed his lips.

"I see you're wearing it." Soul said and Yuki looked at him a little confused until he gestured to the silver around her neck and a smile of her own spread across her features.

"Yeah, though you know, it's not mine." She said. "I don't know what made you think it was."

"Nothing did," He replied "It was just my excuse to give it to you. I bought it yesterday." Yuki then felt the heat rising to her cheeks and forced it to go away with some difficulty. She then grew frustrated in her head, asking herself why it was so hard to talk to him when he seemed to find it so easy to talk to her.

"Soul…" She started, looking down at her feet before looking up and locking eyes with him. "I… I need to tell you something. I won't ask you accept it, or even believe me, but I just want you to listen." Yuki took a deep breath as she closed her eyes for a moment but then opened them only to feel a bit weak as she stared into Soul's gorgeous red eyes. She discarded the feeling though, knowing that she _had_ to do this. "I-I'm… the daughter of… a witch called Medusa…" She halted there, seeing the shock in Soul's eyes but he still didn't say anything so she took the moment to go on, having already started, it was pointless to stop. "She enrolled me and my siblings here for her own dark reasons but I'm tired of it all. I just want a normal life, I want real friends… I want…" She stopped there, feeling like she was about to spill too much and just looked into Soul's eyes. "Please don't tell anyone Soul, I wasn't even supposed to tell you. But—"

"Let me stop you there." He said in an emotionless tone that made Yuki flinch. "You're telling me that you and your siblings are the children of a witch sent here to infiltrate the DWMA? And now you're trying to convince me that that's not what you're doing anymore?"

"I'm not!"

"Plus, on top of that, you want me to keep your secret?" He scoffed, but there was a light in his eyes that made Yuki wonder if he was really feeling as cynical as he looked right now.

"If you want to tell the whole world then fine, go ahead Soul, but I just wanted you to know. It's been killing me, these last few days, trying to decide whether or not to tell you at all, but I did. And I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders!" Yuki felt the slight sting of perspiration in her eyes but she held back the tears, forcing herself to be tough. "You were the one person I wanted to tell the most, and so far everyone's been against me. Neither Len nor Ren thought it was a good idea to tell you, I know my mother is going to be furious but I don't care. I'm just glad that, if all goes to hell, at least you know the truth…" Then Yuki looked away from Soul, she felt like running, running away from everyone. She hated this feeling that everyone suddenly was against her just because of who she was, it was aggravating.

"Yuki…" Soul said, still in that emotionless tone. She didn't know what he was going to say, but the way he was saying it made her know that it wasn't going to be something she liked. So, without waiting to hear what her ears—and heart—didn't want to hear, she turned on her heels and ran out of the Academy, tears streaming down her face.


	12. Chapter 12: Love

She didn't know where she was going, she didn't care. All Yuki wanted to do was get as far away as she could. Far from the Death Weapon Meister Academy, from all the people that attended school there, from Soul… She just felt heartbroken, she didn't know why, she'd gone through things similar to this dozens of times but… this was different. She'd never felt an _attraction_ to anyone before, she'd always been careful not to fall for anyone. For the specific reason such as what just happened.

She felt rejected…

True she hadn't really waited to see if Soul's answer might have been different than the others, but would it have been different? She was tired of hoping, she wanted to know!

She ran as fast as she could, through the twists and turns of Death City, Nevada, and stopped only when she ran out of breath—hiding in an alleyway where she figured she'd be able to be alone. Why it didn't occur to her that she could just go home, who could say. Maybe she figured that that was where they would look for her first. Then she laughed to herself as she slumped to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest. Who was going to look for her?

She had just been rejected, or at least, that's what she thought anyway.

Truth be told, she was thinking about leaving the Academy to go back to Medusa…

**oOo**

Soul had returned to class, though, after that little incident, he could hardly pay attention to anything that was being said. Stein was teaching as usual but Soul just had no interest in any of it. He didn't care about the endangered species Stein was about to dissect lying on the table, he was thinking about Yuki and what she had said.

"_If you want to tell the whole world then fine, go ahead Soul, but I just wanted you to know. It's been killing me, these last few days, trying to decide whether or not to tell you at all, but I did. And I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders!"_

He felt a bit stupid for not really replying to her then, right when she needed him the most.

"_You were the one person I wanted to tell the most, and so far everyone's been against me. Neither Len nor Ren thought it was a good idea to tell you, I know my mother is going to be furious but I don't care. I'm just glad that, if all goes to hell, at least you know the truth…"_

And right then, Soul felt like the biggest idiot alive. He'd stayed silent, merely breathing Yuki's name, and not telling her how he really felt on the subject. He'd acted cynical and that probably hurt her more than anything. But what bothered him the most was that, when she'd ran away, he didn't go after her.

And without thinking, Soul jumped over his desk and ran out of the room, hoping that Yuki hadn't gotten too far.

**oOo**

Down in a dark alleyway, in a dark part of town, Yuki sat against a wall and sniffled quietly to herself. She was holding back a waterfall of tears but she couldn't hold back her body from shaking or her little sniffles. She wanted nothing more that to disappear, just become invisible. _What made me think everything would be okay_? She thought, _it never is_.

I am the darkness in the shadows

I am the one you'll never see

I am the fear you hold so closely

The terror that has come to be

I am the pain that stabs you in the heart

I am what can set you free

I am the one that wants to help you

So can't you see it's me?

I am the one that makes you frightened

I am the one that wants you to see

I am the one who's not that scary

When you really get to know me

I am love.


	13. Chapter 13: Childhood Terrors

Yuki decided that, after several minutes to herself, it was time to get moving again. So, getting up, she slowly started to walk down the alleyway to the other side and move closer and closer to the outskirts of town.

She didn't get too far from that spot; however, as suddenly she regretted not having Len and Ren by her side. Standing in front of her, was… someone Yuki had recognized from the Academy. She'd never actually met her, nor said hello, but… something was seriously wrong with the girl now standing in front of her.

Her hair was long and white, black staining the ends of her hair. Her eyes were blood red and her skin was so pale that Yuki thought she looked ill. Of course Yuki knew her name, that much she had learned, but it was the sight of this girl—Rain Disaster—that was unsettling. She was a weapon too if Yuki remembered correctly, though she didn't know what kind.

There was a type of animosity radiating from Rain and an intense bitterness. She didn't know what had happened to her but Yuki was absolutely sure of what she was becoming; a kishin. Although she wasn't there now, Rain would no doubt become one if left unchecked. She didn't understand what might have drove her to start eating human souls, Rain had known the consequences, but she was sure of one thing; she had to stop her.

Taking a fighting stance, Yuki readied herself for what she knew was coming. She had managed to get out of the alleyway, but the road she was on was still narrow and there wasn't much space, though it was still better than the claustrophobic area of the alleyway.

Rain just stood there though, staring at Yuki with her demented red eyes. Maybe if she wasn't acting so calm with her maniac stare Yuki could have felt a little better about the whole situation but… that's exactly how she was; calm. Waiting for something to happen, time seemed to slowly pass by as Yuki's heart started to slowly pound against her chest. She could hear the _thump thump… thump thump_ in her ears and she could feel it in her chest as well as up to her throat.

Rain was by no means a scary person, she had been nice—somewhat—from the times Yuki had seen her back at the Academy. But, this was… just creepy. She wasn't scared of the way Rain looked, she was scared of the way she was acting; she wasn't doing anything. Just standing there in the middle of the narrow road and staring at Yuki through her hair that had fallen in her face.

There was a sort of menacing aura that she gave off as Rain stood there. It reminded Yuki of a time when Medusa had scared her into going to bed as a child by telling her stories of a real kishin eating children. Of course that was a lie, kishin didn't eat children. That wasn't to say that it didn't scare poor Yuki when she was little into crawling into bed and having restless nights as she stared at her door waiting for something to happen.

"Yuki!" A voice shouted, getting closer and closer, though she wasn't exactly paying attention. She was more focused on the girl in front of her.

Then, just as Soul turned down the road she was on and saw the one he had been looking for, Rain lunged at Yuki with a bloodlust in her eyes. Had she been sane, it might not have unsettled everyone so much. But… she was gone, as in consumed by whatever darkness held her.

Soul ran as fast as he could, hoping to reach Yuki in time, knowing that she was unarmed without any kind of weapon. He had seen Rain standing in front of her, seen the look in her eyes from as far as he had been. He could see that she was corrupted, but—at the moment—he was only focused on getting Yuki out of harm's way.

And then Rain reached her…


	14. Chapter 14: Ambient

Soul panicked, he saw the raised arm of Rain—now transformed into her partial weapon form—and felt his heart stop in his chest. Desperately he tried to push himself to run faster but his legs suddenly felt like he was dragging steel and it was hard to keep going. His throat felt dry and it felt like his heart was caught up in his throat, making it hard to swallow. His mind kept telling him that he was too late, he wasn't going to make it, but he shook the thoughts away and pressed on, knowing he'd make it.

Yuki stood frozen to the ground, in shock, unmoving. She was unnerved to the point where she felt a bit paralyzed and couldn't even muster the strength to try and run away. Not that she didn't want to—oh she did!—she just couldn't seem to get her legs moving. It was almost as if her mind had shut down and wasn't taking orders anymore, it had frozen on her, like computer that had a glitch.

Not exactly her ideal situation.

Rain's hand was lowering, though it seemed to come at Yuki slowly, almost as if time had slowed considerably. Of course that wasn't actually what had happened, Yuki was simply seeing her life flash before her eyes and it was making it hard for her to concentrate on what was around her.

Her childhood she had spent with Medusa had been, for lack of a better word, horrible. True it wasn't _all that bad_, but it wasn't terrific, 'sunshine and rainbows' either. It had been full of hard lessons, tedious _to do lists_, and constant training. Not so much that the training had been on any kind of fighting, it was more focused on a type of… brainwashing? I guess you could say that, though that wasn't exactly it either. It was more of… teaching her children how to… _obey_ her, how to listen to instruction and never go against her. Never contravene against what her wishes were. Yeah, that was more it.

Though the _training _was excruciatingly hard on the children's minds, placing them in difficult situations—one example would be Crona and a little dragon that Medusa had found. Medusa had required Crona to kill the "little one", as he called it, but Crona had refused many times over. Weeks and weeks passed of going against Medusa's orders and being locked in a cold room, alone with no one but Ragnarok for company. That is, until eventually Crona complied, killing the poor little baby dragon before Medusa's eyes and—more importantly—scarring Crona's. It wasn't the death of the little one that got to Crona, no, it was the innocence that he felt so connected to. He felt like he could understand the little one, but… the little one just _couldn't_ understand him. It couldn't possibly know what he had gone through, what he'd felt… No, it had been as pure as Crona, untainted by the world until the stain of murder caressed Crona's pale skin. As much as the innocence had drained from the little one's eyes then, so had it from Crona.

Though, if you really dug deeper, that wasn't true.

Yuki saw her reflection gazing back at her from the clean metal of Rain's weapon arm. It was almost as if she saw it smiling at her, flaunting her life before her. Then, she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable and knowing that in a mere second here soon, she'd feel the quick sting of death and would soon be taken into the reaper's welcoming arms.

The sensation never hit her, however.

Just as the blade began to graze Yuki's cheek, strong hands grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her out of the way.

Soul and Yuki fell to the ground from the strength of his tug on her arm and immediately Yuki snapped out of her stupor, her memories locking back up inside her head where they belonged. She stood back up, turning back to face the angry glare of Rain, and ordered Soul to transform for her. The boy stared up at Yuki's back with an unsure gaze but the way she looked from behind—her set and determined features—he just smirked and did as he was told.

Holding the now scythe version of Soul, Yuki ran forward to attack Rain. Her hands were burning and she felt like crying out in pain, but she bit back the agonizing feeling and bitterly swung Soul at Rain.

In what felt like minutes, seconds had passed. It seemed almost unrealistic how uncanny Rain's movements were; she was fast. Perhaps a little too much for Yuki to say that she really felt comfortable with the fight, but she continued on anyway. It wasn't a particularly long fight, but not that short either. It was a… a perfect medium you could say, though disturbing all around. Yuki hadn't been expecting to have had to battle someone from the Academy, someone who had obviously, secretly been devouring human souls that day but, life has weird twists.

As the finishing blow hit Rain and her lifeless body fell to the ground, Yuki dropped Soul immediately and hugged her burning hands to her chest as she fell to her knees. She was in quite a bit of agony from the intense pain of most likely third degree burns to her hands. Soul, transforming back, went to her side right then though. He held a bit of worry in his eyes as he took Yuki's hands and looked at them, asking if she was okay. Of course, wanting to act tough, she said she was fine and pulled her hands away from his grasp.

Soul stared at her with pain in his eyes, he'd barely made it in time to save her from a deadly attack that had been about to kill her. Then, a strange emotion welling up inside of him, Soul tilted Yuki's head up so she was looking at him directly in the eyes with a finger under her chin. He stared into her white, colorless, pupil less eyes and then gave into that strange emotion he had been feeling; kissing her right there in the middle of the street, kneeling at her side as she sat on the ground.

At first, she'd been a little surprised, having expected something like this to happen least of everything else, but, as the seconds rolled by, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the bliss of the moment.

They stayed that way for what seemed like long minutes before Soul finally pulled away, but all Yuki could do was blush deeply and look away to try and make it fade. Soul just gave her one of his charming, signature smiles and helped her stand up as he said it would probably be best for him to take her home.

Though, how they were going to explain all that had happened this night was beyond them. Maybe Len and Ren just wouldn't ask? Yuki laughed at that though, she had blood stains on her clothes, why wouldn't they ask?


	15. Chapter 15: Heartbreak With Jealousy

The days passed by and melted into months, months ended up melting into a whole year. Not a whole happened over that time. Medusa hadn't really talked to her children, hadn't really checked up on them, she did enroll Crona into the Academy though. It was strange and almost a little intimidating how their mother just seemed to… stop caring…

It wasn't like her at all.

Medusa wasn't one to give up that easily on her plans and without a fight too. She had something up her sleeve, Yuki was sure. There just wasn't any other explanation, she was planning something. What that something was, however… God only knows! It's not like Yuki—or any of her siblings for that matter; Len, Ren or Crona—could read minds. Had they been able to though, maybe it might have helped them figure out what their mother's problem was.

Figure out what exactly she had spinning around in her head.

"uki… Yuki?" Someone called and she snapped out of her trance, looking up and then meeting the gaze of her now one year boyfriend. That night when Yuki almost died really seemed to push things in the right direction, sure it took Soul quite a few weeks—even a little over a month—to suck up his feelings and just ask her out. He found the whole thing un-cool and just wanted to say that they were together rather than asking her out first. He had been nervous as hell when he did too but now that was all behind him, he didn't need to worry about it.

What he did need to worry about, though, was…

_**WHACK!**_

"Ow! What the hell, Maka, what was that for!" Soul cried out as he rubbed the ever growing bump on his head. It seemed that over the course of the year, Maka had gotten a little distant with her partner. Not that they weren't still friends—they were as close as ever—but things just seemed a little… different now. She was always cautious around him and they didn't interact too much but they still talked a lot, mainly when Yuki wasn't around. Not about anything bad, just life, but Maka seemed to get a little awkward when Yuki was around. Were Soul more perceptive in these kinds of areas, he would have known right away why his meister was acting that way.

It was a little bit of heartbreak sprinkled with jealousy and topped with a cherry.

"Pay attention Soul!" Maka yelled / whispered back. They were in class today so naturally it was _rude_ to talk when the teacher was talking. This new guy, Stein, was a bit of a nutcase too.

Where was Sid? Well, he sort of died… then came back to life… and is now a zombie. Yeah… that's sort of a long story short. But anyways, Stein had a serious issue, more like disorder, of wanted to dissect _**everything**_, and I mean everything.

What was there to pay attention to though? Stein wasn't exactly teaching anything new, this was at the very _**least**_ the fifth dissection this week. What more could there possibly be to learn from that? So, with a huff and a turn of his head, Soul ignored Maka and tapped on Yuki's shoulder—who now sat next to him—and she turned her head and smiled at him.

"Want to meet me at _our place_ tonight?" Soul whispered to her. Yuki, of course, knew exactly where he was talking about. It was this little oasis right outside of Death City that the two of them had found one day when they had gone on a walk together. It was a little secluded behind the ever constant sand that seemed to hide it from view. It was concealed behind some ominous rocks and sand dunes that stood tall and blended with the scenery so Yuk and Soul were the only two that knew about it currently.

"Sure!" She replied with an eager face. The two of them hadn't really had the chance to have any alone time together lately so she wasn't about to let this chance slip her by.

**oOo**

Waiting at the little oasis, Soul sat by the foot of a small pond and slowly drew little circles in the water as he waited for Yuki to arrive. He'd been a little over excited—on the inside—and actually got to their place half an hour before the time they had agreed upon. So when Soul head footsteps behind him and turned around to see his girlfriend, he was a little ecstatic.

Though not that he would show that openly to anyone, he was too cool for that. But he would open up a lot more than he did with others to Yuki.

The couple spent the night wasting away in each others' company. Cuddling, snuggling, you know, the usual. Under the constant scrutiny of their friends—Black Star and Maka mainly—the most the two ever did was hug or hold hands. So being able to share midnight kisses and relax in each others' embrace was a nice change. Especially since Soul had a reason for asking Yuki to meet him here aside from just wanting to spend time with her.

Lying on the sand at the foot of the pond, Yuki snuggled as close as she could into Soul's arms, resting her head on his chest as well as her right hand. He had an arm wrapped around her while his other was cushioning his head as a type of pillow while they lied there under the stars.

Even though it wasn't exactly Yuki's ideal kind of date—not that this really was one—but she found everything to be oddly romantic. The starts, the gentle wind, the water at their feet and the fact that she and he were cuddling together on the desert sand, it all just seemed very dreamy and quixotic.

She listened to the rhythm of Soul's heartbeat and it was slowly lulling her to sleep but she forced herself to stay awake, not knowing when they'd get another chance to be together like this. Then she heard Soul take in a deep breath before asking "Yuki… where do we go from here?"


	16. Chapter 16: Taking Steps

"What do you mean 'where do we go from here'?" Yuki asked as she looked above her at Soul's face, though still resting on his chest. "We stay together Soul." He then flashed a smile at the sky as he stared up at it but Yuki knew it was for her.

"That's not what I meant." He said as he tightened his arm around her. "I'll never leave you, but…" He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts "Where do we go from here? Do we take the next step or is this just where we'll be?"

Yuki pondered what he had asked, they'd been together for a little over a year now and it had just become something she had felt so used to. She hadn't wondered about if they should go a step further, though, what extra step could they take? Maybe Soul was asking about something else? Maybe he was wondering about how they could spend more time together, being that they hadn't been able to do much of that lately. Was that it?

"What's wrong with being right here?" Yuki asked as she tightened her arms around Soul as they lay there. He smiled as she did so and rubbed her shoulder with his hand that his head wasn't resting on. In truth, he didn't know the answer himself. Where could they have gone from here? It wasn't like they were going to get married. Soul was barely seventeen and Yuki was a year younger than him, neither was ready for that kind of commitment. Plus, Soul wouldn't and wasn't going to pressure her into doing anything. So, he guessed, this was where they would be for the time being.

"Nothing," Soul replied as he relaxed "Absolutely nothing."

"Then let's not talk about these deep questions, we're here for each other after all. How often do we really get to be alone like this?" Yuki said.

Soul had to admit that she was right, this was the first time in months they had had any alone time together, not that they snuck away to do anything too intimate, but they enjoyed just being around each other. Soul was often off on assignments with Maka and Yuki had her own assignments to take care of with Len and Ren—so this was bliss.

Though bliss was often short lived, Yuki was still deeply troubled by the fact that Medusa hadn't tried making any moves lately. It was like an elaborate game of chess and it was her turn but she just remained thinking rather than moving any pieces. Yuki would have almost felt better had she tried something already but instead she remained conventional. Almost like she wanted to be seen as everyone else, as typical, it gave Yuki the chills.

Soul felt the shiver run up Yuki's spine and asked her if she was cold. She gave him a smile and said she wasn't, then commenting on the fact that they were in the middle of a desert and it was sort of impossible for her to feel cold. Soul just flashed a smirk down to her before agreeing and then that comfortable silence stretched between them again.

For the last few days, Yuki had been like this and Soul knew something was up. It wasn't that he didn't want to ask her; it was that he didn't feel like prying. She had a life she had lived long before meeting him and obviously it had been a hard one full of a lot of… _**motherly love**_. Of course, Soul wasn't able to piece together the puzzle that Medusa was the Academy's nurse, Yuki had never mentioned that part, but he had his suspicions. Not that Soul thought the nurse at the Academy was Yuki's mother, no, he thought the witch she called 'mom' was someone else with the same name. Who could blame him either? The way Yuki talked about her mother and the way Medusa acted around all the students and Lord Death especially, they seemed like two entirely different people. The cruel witch who had raised children she clearly didn't deserve couldn't possibly be the adoring nurse that took such good care of all the kids and was amazingly friendly could she?

It just seemed too different.

Soul was so deep in his thought that he didn't even realize that Yuki's breathing had evened and steadied—she was asleep. When he noticed this he smiled inwardly and just layed there for about another hour before deciding he was going to fall asleep soon too and so got up—gently and carefully picking up Yuki so as to not wake her—and carried her home, through the unlocked front door—Len and Ren knew she would be gone late—and putting her in bed, then going home.

And as soon as Soul's head hit the pillow, he was asleep, in a peaceful dream within his peaceful sleep.


	17. Chapter 17: Just Stop!

"Why are you doing this?" Yuki said with tears streaming down her face. "Stop it!" She screamed "Just stop! Leave him alone!" She was practically choking on her sobs, her eyes red and puffy as the tiny, glistening streams fell from her white eyes. The person in front of her just spread a demonic smile across their thin lips, completely ignoring Yuki's pleas.

Yuki screamed and screamed again, begging the person to stop but they didn't care for her or the one they were torturing. Yuki's cried of desperation only greatly drove their motives, it made the person happy to see her on the edge like this, they enjoyed seeing her in pain. Her tears and pleas only satisfied the need that the person so felt.

Then, with a raised hand, the dagger plunged into Soul's heart…

**oOo**

[Before that incident]

"Black Star, when are you going to give up?" Len said in an almost bored tone. He was sitting right outside the Academy on the stairs that led up to the main doors, watching Black Star try and beat Kid in a _duel_ of sort—not that he was winning…

"The day I beat this guy," Black Star said, pointing to Kid "and after I defeat a real kishin, is the day I'll surpass God! I won't give up until then!"

"You do know that surpassing God is impossible right?" Ren threw in; she was laying next to Len with her head in his lap.

"Shut up Ren! What do you know! I don't see you training as hard as me!" Black Star yelled "Besides, it would take you more than a lifetime to catch up to my level, so I guess why bother. Never mind, just lay there, there's no point in you trying anyways." He finished off, that cocky look in his eyes. Ren was then on her feet in a heartbeat.

"What's that supposed to mean! You think you're better than me, is that it?"

"Of course I'm better than you, there's no question about tha—" his words were cut short as Ren landed a punch right across the left side of his face. He didn't go flying, she wasn't strong enough for that, but he did fall to the ground with blood coming out of the corner of his lip.

"You wanna go?" He shouted at her as he got back up to his feet. "I'll take you down right here daisy!" And then the bantering and fighting began, like it had been over the last few days.

"Daisy?" Tsubaki asked as she watched the _battle_ continue. Yuki then explained the whole thing, that Black star would call her sister that to irritate her since Ren didn't like the nickname. Ever since she had explained that to him too, he had begun to call her that more and more. In a way, Ren thought of it as demeaning, that it made her seem soft. Which, on the inside and to her siblings, Ren was a sweetheart, but to Black Star…

It wasn't that the two hated each other, far from it—they were best friends—Ren just had a buddy crush on him. You know, those feelings that you don't realize but for some reason you always want to be around that one person? Yeah, that's what she was going through, and Ren was too stubborn to admit to herself how she felt so she took it all out on Black Star this way because it was easier for her.

Yuki then felt familiar arms snake around her waist and she was then pulled into that protective embrace from behind as Soul rested his chin on her shoulder. By now she was pretty used to the way he did things—and she liked it—but only just a few days ago had he really started to do it out in public. Not that he hadn't over the year or so they have been together, but he just never did it as much as he did now. He almost seemed to be hesitant about it at first in the beginning of their relationship, maybe a little bit embarrassed, but he didn't seem to care anymore.

**oOo**

The day grew late with no time and Yuki was out on an assignment with her siblings. So far—as progress goes—each Len and Ren had about sixty-eight souls to themselves. For the most part, that was great! It meant they were that much closer to becoming one of Lord Death's weapons, something Yuki was really striving for. She wanted the best for her twin brother and her sister, she wanted them to be the best, so—over the days—she had asked for a lot of assignments from Lord Death, trying to collect as many souls as she could for her partners. Had she had only one weapon, she probably would have made them a Death Scythe already, but she had two—not that she was complaining. She actually felt a lot better knowing that both her siblings were with her, by her side. It made her feel more secure.

Perhaps it was this—her trail of thought—that was what kept her so aware of her surroundings… Because at that very moment she halted in her steps, twisted her body to the right and then swung her full force in both scythes she was holding into ramming the monster behind her, turning on her heels to make sure that she hadn't hit a normal person instead.

There, on the ground—well, sliding off the wall to the ground—was… a girl? At first Yuki was confused and really worried that she just hurt—possibly killed—an innocent person. The girl had long black hair with orange down at the tips, pale skin almost as if the blood in her body had been drained, and… well her face was down so Yuki couldn't see her features all that well but she placed the girl's age at around nine.

Then she looked up.

Yuki felt a bit shocked, almost as if she were staring at Rain all over again—though it wasn't her. The girl had an adorable face, soft and almost angelic like, but her eyes were crystal blue, deep an intense. Her eyes seemed to be the one thing that stood out most to Yuki. They didn't make her look _that_ intimidating but it was the aura she gave off. The girl practically radiated evil, something Yuki was a little used to.

"What are you waiting for Yuki?" Ren asked in her weapon form.

"Yeah, isn't this the girl we've been looking for?" Len added but their sister just stared, a little hypnotized. "Yuki?" Len asked again.

"She's just a child…" She said in almost a whisper.

"She's about to become a kishin!" Ren shouted.

"Stop hesitating!" Len said right after.

"She's so young…" Yuki looked almost scared to do anything. It wasn't like the girl's age was intimidating, so… what?

"Yuki get it together!" Ren's voice rang in her head.

"I can't do it you guys. She's… too young."

"Yuki!" Len said "If you don't do something, I'll take care of this myself!"

"Yuuuukiiiii!" Someone shouted, but that was the last thing she heard before blacking out, her body then hitting the ground. The last thing she saw was her two siblings transforming back to their regular selves and shouting silent words at her. Then she saw Len hit the ground, his eyes shut, but she didn't see what happened to Ren as her eyes closed and the blackness took her.

**oOo**

Yuki woke up with a headache, and not like your average throb of the head—no—it was bad, such as a migraine was. She tried to put her hands on her head and maybe rub her temples to help but she found her hands chained behind her. Then she really started to wake up.

Looking around Yuki found that she was in some sort of room, it was dark and she couldn't see very well but she could see three silhouettes in front of her, or rather, lying in front of her. She couldn't tell who they were but she knew something bad was up. Then an almost blinding light hit Yuki as a door was opened and the dark room was suddenly flooded with white light before it went dark again—the door shutting.

"Ah, so you're finally awake." The person who just walked in said. Yuki couldn't really hear their voice, and couldn't see the person at all so she just assumed this was the bastard that had kidnapped her and whoever else was in the room with her.

"Nnnnng," Someone groaned and Yuki's eyes widened in absolute horror.

"…Soul…?" She breathed and she heard the person chuckle.

That's when the real horrors started…

**oOo**

"Why are you doing this?" Yuki said with tears streaming down her face. "Stop it!" She screamed "Just stop! Leave him alone!" She was practically choking on her sobs, her eyes red and puffy as the tiny, glistening streams fell from her white eyes. The person in front of her just spread a demonic smile across their thin lips, completely ignoring Yuki's pleas.

Yuki screamed and screamed again, begging the person to stop but they didn't care for her or the one they were torturing. Yuki's cried of desperation only greatly drove their motives, it made the person happy to see her on the edge like this, they enjoyed seeing her in pain. Her tears and pleas only satisfied the need that the person so felt.

Then, with a raised hand, the dagger plunged into Soul's heart…


	18. Chapter 18: Monuments and Memories

Yuki didn't see the hand raise, didn't see the dagger fall, but she heard the blood curdling scream that Soul let out as the pain washed over him in jagged waves. It twisted knots in her stomach and made her wince and the tears fall faster, what could be worse than this? The boy she loved was in agony, dreadful agony, and she couldn't do a thing to help him.

Yuki pulled and struggled against her chain restraints but nothing was able to break her free. She could literally feel her heart shattering inside her chest; feel the pieces falling down to her stomach. It was the most unpleasant feeling she had ever experienced and she just wanted it to stop. She wanted to wake up and have this all be a bad dream, something she could tell Soul about and he would hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

But it wasn't…

This was all far from okay, this was… it was… it was excruciatingly unbearable and painful to listen to, but Yuki wasn't able to cover her ears—she had to listen. The more she heard the worse she felt, her mood exponentially decreasing at a rapid rate. Her head was dropped and she was staring at the ground with some new profound interest as her glistening tears fell from her white eyes to the stone floor. Were it brighter in the room, Yuki would notice that there was a puddle of how many tears she had cried, pooling before her.

Then the screams stopped…

A bright light filled the room—and no it wasn't some mighty archangel come to save the day, people are never so lucky—but it was light from the hallway… The door was being opened! Or was it already opened? Yuki couldn't tell, she hadn't been paying attention. However, as she looked up, she saw… Crona… and he was… he _**saved Soul**_! Yuki had no idea when he got there, didn't even know how long he had been here, but she was grateful that her brother showed up when he did.

The dagger still had hit Soul, his screams couldn't deny that, but it would seem that Crona threw Ragnarok at the person and it deflected the dagger a little so that it dug into Soul's forearm instead. Not that that made it hurt any less, and luckily the blade had missed an artery—that would have surely spelled out Soul's impending doom and there would be no way he would recover from a wound like that without a doctor on hand immediately to help.

Wait… The person was___**Medusa**_?

And… the other two silhouettes on the floor, laying down, were Len and Ren.

A deep and violently vicious anger flared up in Yuki's heart, she had had just about enough of her _mother_, and she was tired of putting up with her. In the beginning Yuki hadn't cared so much, she hadn't had anyone outside of her family that she called close so whatever happened to those around her didn't matter. But this—going as far as to torture the people she loved and bring Len and Ren into the mix!—Yuki wasn't about to forgive Medusa.

Not this time.

"Crona, help me get out of these!" Yuki pleaded, shaking her arms so that her brother knew she was talking about the chains. Crona merely looked her way with a bit of a pained look and nodded reluctantly as he tried going towards her to help—being back handed by Medusa a moment later and staggering back in into the wall.

Yuki winced at the sight; her face still stained with tears, and turned her gaze away. It was then that she noticed that Len was starting to wake up.

There was a large bruise on his cheek, a cute going right through the middle of it, but that didn't seem to be the focus of his motives at the moment. Len then seemed to notice that he was bound, but not in chains, in a thick rope. That was probably something that Medusa should have thought through more—

A long blade coming out of Len's back cut the rope with swift ease, and suddenly he was free! It didn't take long for Medusa to notice though and for some reason; a wide smirk crossed her face. What on earth did she have to be smiling about? Her plans were being run into the ground and she found it funny?

Something wasn't right…

Yuki was the first to hear Ren's muffled groans, and as she looked over she noticed something that she hadn't before; the rope wasn't rope at all… it was a large snake… and it was slowly tightening its grip around her wrists as well as slithering around the rest of her body and neck.

"So glad you noticed," Medusa hissed "You see, those snakes were made to kill once someone broke free, whether Len or Ren, one of them was going to pay the price. Perhaps I should have mentioned that? Oh well, a mother's mind is sometimes forgetful." Her demented grin then spread farther as her gaze turned back to Soul who had his features set in a glare but his breathing was slow and the dagger was still imbedded into his arm.

Something shiny and red colored then zipped over Yuki's shoulder, Medusa seemed to be the only one who noticed at the moment. In her fit of pride, she assumed it to be one of her snakes, although… her creatures were black not red, and they didn't shine like that. Or did it really shine? It seemed to twitch more like lightning would as it slithered over Yuki's shoulder quickly.

It wasn't a snake—that much Medusa knew for sure.

It happened again, and again, the strange red lightning seeming to curl and twine itself around Yuki, but Medusa wasn't about to be fooled by a child's trick. Sending one of her tattoos out to Yuki, the creature wrapped itself around her neck and Yuki struggled to breathe, not being able to help herself with her hands still bound.

Then some of the red sparks crawled their way around Medusa's tattoo and sent a high voltage shock to her entire body, one that made her stagger a bit but she didn't lose her concentration, merely tightening the grip around Yuki's neck—choking her.

Another spark then was sent out to Medusa through her tattoo and it was worse, much worse, that the last one. The shock actually almost making her pull her snake away—Yuki gaining a moment to take in a deep breath—but she didn't give in. She wanted to strangle the life out of this disrespectful child of her's, teach Yuki her place.

Len was desperately and distraughtly trying to free Ren of the snakes, he didn't want to lose his sister—either of them. Len was in a frantic situation; he had to choose between which sisters to save. His twin, Yuki, or Ren… how do you chose between something like that?

The rage and fury then suddenly filled his body and in a fit of panic and hate, Len stood up and landed a swift kick right to Medusa's middle with a little run behind it. His mother coughed and flew back against the wall, both snakes—around Ren and Yuki—then disappeared.

He had another thing coming though if he thought that was supposed to finish off Medusa…


	19. Chapter 19: Storms in the Clear Skies

Medusa was right back on her feet within seconds and she looked angry, to put it lightly. She started talking but it was useless chatter meant to simply demoralize Len from taking this fight any further, not that he would, mind you. It only seemed to serve as driving Len's rage and _pushing_ him into attacking, something that really achieved the same aspiration either way.

Len was fighting in blind rage; his moves weren't strategic in any way. This all was greatly accumulating to Medusa's advantage, which was bad for everyone else, and it was turning the tables; the short advantage that the three siblings had had a moment later was slowly dissipating and growing smaller as the minutes rolled by.

Ren still lay on the floor, her breathing finally starting to even out as she wasn't struggling against a snake trying to kill her anymore, much to her relief. Her neck and arms carried several bruise marks, however, but that didn't stop her from shakily sitting up and looking around and what was transpiring around her.

Yuki watched her sister sit up with great relief; she had almost half though she was dead. Inwardly, Yuki let out a big pent up sigh that she had been holding in when she had had a moment to look at her sister and had saw her body twitching like she was having a seizure.

Len wasn't paying attention to his two sisters at the moment though; he was trying to protect them from their horrid mother. In truth, back before they had all been placed in the Death Weapon Meister Academy, Len probably could have cared less what their mother did. It was just them four—Yuki, Ren, Crona and him—in the beginning. They didn't have any friends, no family aside from Medusa, so what would they care if a few people got hurt or killed? It wasn't like any of them had played too many parts in their mother's schemes. Well, aside from Crona. Medusa seemed to have a fondness for mentally tormenting that boy and forcing him to do things she knew he wasn't comfortable with but that he did anyway.

Medusa made the first move in this stage of the fight, one of her tattoos jetting out from behind her and aimed right at Len who had barely enough time to react. But, with a partial transformed body—one arm the blade of the scythe he was—Len made a last minute judgment call and ran over to Yuki as he cut the chains holding her. That wasn't to say that the shackles weren't still attached to her wrists, but now it just looked like she was wearing two bracelets with long, heavy chains attached at the middles of the cuffs.

With a simple order, Len then transformed fully and Yuki then wielded her brother as the deadly weapon he was. There was no point in asking Ren to join the fight, she was hurt and Yuki didn't want to make her injuries any worse. The best thing Ren could do at this point was rest and do her best to stay out of the fighting.

At the far end of the room, groaning after being back handed into a wall, Crona was rubbing his eyes as he tried to clear his foggy mind. It wasn't the blow that had made him so dizzy and light headed; it was the fact that Medusa had used magic in the blow that _really_ hurt. Of course Ragnarok wasn't caring at all about Crona's welfare and he was simply beating on the poor boy's head—which wasn't making anything better—telling Crona to get up and run. Ragnarok was always one for a fight, but against Medusa he seemed to chicken out.

Not this time though.

Crona was hard set on ending all of this here and now, as were his other siblings. None of them ever wanted to see their _mother _again after this—not that she really deserved that title after all she had done.

Yuki's first priority was to keep everyone safe, her siblings and Soul who was clutching at his arm which was bleeding quite badly still. Yuki didn't want to see anyone else get hurt, she didn't even know why Medusa was doing all this; she had everything already, what more could she possibly want?

The world to fall into chaos…?

Yuki then scowled, that did seem like something she would do, but she didn't expect that she had that plan in motion yet or at all. No, Medusa's plans were probably much more immediate with her having to deal with four _rambunctious _children. Now there was a thought.

No, these _**kids**_ were done delaying things. They were burning their mental memoirs with this woman; they didn't want to ever remember her again. Be she their mother or not, they didn't want anything to do with her anymore. Her ways, her plans, all her nonsense just wasn't appealing anymore. She was an adult playing children's games of psychology, which, no one had time for anymore. They were done.

Stretching minutes passed in alarmingly slow speeds making this fight seem to drag on forever. Throws and swings were dished out but little seemed to do anything that significant. Well, at first anyway.

Len practically yelled at Yuki at one instant to throw him at Medusa. Of course, feeling completely baffled at the stupid plan, Yuki refused, shaking her head vigorously with disgust against the plan. _What kind of stupid plans are swimming through that small head of his_? Yuki thought rudely. Normally she didn't question her brother but his order just now was flat out imprudent—

"DO IT YUKI!" Len shouted again and it a bit of shock, Yuki complied without thinking, sending Len flying at Medusa in a sideways spin. Medusa, knowing exactly how this would end, was already prepared for the spinning scythe—

Len transformed and then landed a hard kick right into Medusa's face.

Not expecting that in the slightest, Medusa went flying into the wall behind her, coughing up blood as she slid down to the ground. Then, transforming back, Yuki grabbed her twin brother and ended everything with a last swing—Medusa, still recovering from the blow and not paying attention—decapitating her.

The last thing their_** mother**_ saw was Len's smile on the reflection of the scythe's blade before everything went black.

Yuki dropped Len then and fell to her knees as she took in several deep breaths, panting. That had been the hardest fight any of them had ever dealt with. Then a certain thought popped into Yuki's head and, after looking over at Ren to make sure she was okay—Len going to her side—Yuki crawled over to Soul, desperately hoping he was okay.

Their eyes locked as her's filled with tears and his with love. Yuki cried on Soul's chest, saying how much she was sorry and asking if he was okay even though she knew he wasn't. Soul was covered in multiple wounds from Medusa torturing him but the worst was still the dagger that was still imbedded in his forearm. He didn't even complain, however. Merely lifting his arm that wasn't burdened with the weapon and resting his hand on Yuki's back as he rubbed it soothingly. He knew how much she was blaming herself right now, when really, she shouldn't be. None of this was her fault.

Then Yuki remembered something, right before she had blacked out—when Medusa first captured them—she had heard Soul's voice calling out to her. What had he been doing there anyways? As this though plagued Yuki's mind, she asked Soul about it and his reply was simple.

"You left the Academy before I could talk to you and you weren't at home so I went looking for you. I wanted to warn you that Medusa had been looking for you." Soul said "She was asking me weird questions when I had gone to the nurse's office yesterday and I thought it was a little strange so I thought that I should probably let you know that she might be looking for you."

"The nurse's office?" Yuki said, completely disregarding everything else Soul had said—it was sweet but unimportant now.

"Yeah," Soul said, chuckling softly "Got a bit of a cut on my chest and she was checking up on me or something like that to see how I was doing when she started asking me questions about you."

Yuki then lifted Soul's shirt up to see a long gash going diagonally across his torso and she winced at the sight. Her face twisted into a pained look and she lowered Soul's shirt back down as she looked back into Soul's eyes. "You idiot." She said in a very soft voice, practically choking on tears now.

Yuki then pressed her lips to Soul's in a passionate kiss, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want Soul to ever get hurt again. She didn't think she could handle that—a thought that made her mentally laugh, she was sounding just like her brother Crona.

Len and Ren watched with smiles on their faces before Len stood up and picked Ren up bridal-style, then walking out of the room and waiting outside, letting the two have their moment of privacy.


	20. Chapter 20: Constellations of Dreams

Well, perhaps the moment wasn't so private seeing as Crona was still in the room, although, he wasn't really paying attention to Yuki or Soul. No, his focus was more on the headless Medusa, as well as Ragnarok nagging the crap out of him. How Yuki and Soul were managing to tune out that headache, though, was anyone's guess.

Perhaps it was that, were either of the couple to notice at all, the world would suddenly come to an end? An apocalypse shrouding the coming of Armageddon based on the sole dependency that neither Soul nor Yuki would be able to notice Ragnarok was there at all, it seemed likely. After all, they both probably knew of the impending doom that was looming over their shoulders, waiting for the right moment to strike when they both finally noticed the annoyance. It was probably this knowledge that kept them from wanting to notice at all, the safety of their dear planet the only concern on their minds…

Or they were both just too focused on each other to really care?

Either way, Ragnarok wasn't at the center of their thoughts, or at all for that matter.

"How un-cool all this is," Soul said when Yuki finally pulled away from the kiss and allowed him a moment to breathe "having to kill a witch, everyone getting hurt and my girlfriend's crying, to top it all off." Yuki just let out a relieved, short laugh at Soul's ridiculous comment. How this boy managed to find time to complain when he was bleeding all over the floor, she would never know.

That's about when everyone notice the glowing purple light; Medusa's souls.

It was just floating there, hanging out, minding its own business. Why no one had noticed this yet… eh, the result varied between persons. But it was a powerful soul, Yuki could still feel the intense aura—the soul wave length—even though Medusa was long dead. That was to be expected, however, the witch experimented like humanity's survival depended on it.

"So, who get's it?" Soul asked, gesturing to the floating orb, flaming with power at the top. (xD Because, of course this is the only soul that does that.)

"I guess," Yuki started "no one? I don't believe that anyone here has all the other ninety-nine souls collected. Unless someone does and I just don't know about it…?"

"Hey, are you guys going to hurry up and come out here?" Len said, peeking his head through the door. "I really don't want to stay here longer than we need to. This place creeps me out."

"Neither of your siblings have all of them either?" Soul asked, ignoring Len.

"I thought that Len had all ninety-nine souls?" Crona put in, Ragnarok _finally_ leaving him alone. Everyone then turned their heads to Crona in a bit of confusion.

"Len?" Yuki repeated "I don't think so; the most he's got is maybe a little over sixty…"

"Well…" Len said, stopping Yuki in her tracks and making her snap her head over to him. He then walked into the room, still carrying Ren "Remember that time I went and hung out with Black Star?" Yuki nodded and he continued "Well, we sort of got in a fight with _**a lot**_ of kishin, or, at least these weird things that were semi close to becoming kishin, and then there was this weird swordsman who was protecting this little girl—that was a witch—and so we didn't beat the guy or get the little witch, but we got a lot of souls. Er… well, I did. Black Star didn't want any of the loot so I'm up to ninety-nine souls right now." Len then laughed a little nervously like he expected Yuki to be mad at him, but she wasn't.

"Well great, then you can have that." Yuki said, pointing a thumb at Medusa's soul. Len just shrugged as he set Ren down gently and then walked over to the floating purple orb and ate it.

*Majestic holy music*

**oOo**

A pale, white room dull in furniture and clean to an OCD person's expectations harbored a resident—or two, in this case—but both were asleep. One was asleep in the stiff bed, multiple patches around his body where his cuts had been cleaned, and the other was asleep in a chair by the bed, her arms resting on the bedside and her head on top of them.

The door to the hospital room then bursted open, slamming against the wall and breaking it from its hinges a little, as Black Star came into the room. He was shouting Souls name as he ran over to him and started shaking him, asking if he was okay. Of course, Maka, who was behind him, chopped the life out of him and Black Star ended up resting in the bed next to Soul's with blood coming out of his nose.

Everyone then started to talk—Yuki and Soul now wide awake from Black Star's _**grand entrance**_—catching up on events they've missed. Not that there was too much to catch up on but everyone was super curious about what had happened last night. Of course the whole situation was explained, a few details left out that were unimportant—the basic story given, really.

When everyone finally left, it was just Yuki and Soul again. Yuki looked over at Soul, a bit of sadness in her eyes as she stared at all of Soul's wounds. She felt sort of responsible for all of them but Soul only cupped her face and made her look at him. Their eyes locked as there was a longing in the air between them, then Soul pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers. She smiled in the kiss and climbed on the bed, on top of him, and deepened the kiss.

She hadn't lost him; nothing could make this day any better.

_**~The End~**_

So, after me throwing a mental fit as I tried to decide whether to end this or not, I came to the conclusion that I am going to end this and start a sequel later because I know of tons of ways I could drag this on but none of it that would really fit nicely into this story so… expect a sequel sometime in the near, distant future. :P But so, how did you like it? I really loved this story, but I'd like your opinion! Anyways, thank you for reading!


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